Energy Efficiency Tips

How would you like to save money with minimal effort? And how would you feel if these actions made your home more comfortable, and were good for the environment?

1)    You can do just that by taking these simple, cost-effective steps to quickly improve the energy efficiency of your home:    That don't cost any money to do!

2)    Turn off anything you're not using. Not just the lights, but any equipment or appliances such as televisions, VCRs, computers and computer monitors.

3)    When using the clothes washer and dryer, do only full loads. Wash in cold water. Clean the dryer lint trap after each use.

4)    Water heater: Lower the temperature to 120 degrees.

5)    Refrigerator: Give the unit breathing room, clean the coils and don't set the temperature too low.  Fresh foods keep at 37 degrees to 42 degrees, frozen foods at 0 degrees to 5 degrees. Unplug and recycle your second refrigerator.   

6)    Dishwasher: Wash only full loads in the dishwasher. Use the energy saver, air-dry cycle, or if allowed, open the door and let dishes dry naturally. If you have a dishwasher with its own heating element, set temperature to 140 degrees.

7)    Turn off your lights whenever they are not needed.

8)    Don't forget to close the damper when not using the fireplace. Turn your heater(s) down    when using your fireplace.

Maintenance item to do monthly.

Air conditioner:   Replace filters regularly.  Maintain Your Air Conditioner's Filter.   Clean or replace your air conditioner's filter monthly.  Dirty filters block normal airflow and significantly reduce the efficiency of the system, which wastes your money.

Inspect your filters monthly!!!  

 Recommend Upgrades!   Tip:  Budget a small amount each month to purchase these items to make the purchases less painful if you are like me money is tight and with rise fuel costs thinks will only get worse.    You can do what I did and start with the smallest purchase firsts.    

1) Install Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs 

If every American home replaced just one light bulb with an ENERGY STAR qualified bulb, we would save enough energy to light more than 3 million homes for a year, more than $600 million in annual energy costs, and prevent greenhouse gases equivalent to the emissions of more than 800,000 cars.      Just think about how much you we save on energy cost if every home in america replaced all of the their light bulbs in their home's, appartments, and offices with these energy efficient light bulbs. 

ENERGY STAR qualified CFLs

ENERGY STAR qualified bulbs use about 75 percent less energy   than standard incandescent bulbs and last up to 10 times longer.

Save about $30 or more in electricity costs over each bulb's lifetime.

Produce about 75 percent less heat, so they're safer to operate and can cut energy costs associated with home cooling.

They are available in different sizes and shapes to fit in almost any fixture, for indoors and outdoors.

2) Install Low-Flow Water fixtures. Install low-flow showerheads and faucet aerators to save resources without sacrificing water pressure. An efficient showerhead will save a family of four about 27 cents a day on water and 51 cents a day on electricity, which adds up to $285 per year. Installing them couldn't be easier: they just screw on.

3) Install a programable Thermostats. Cost $30-$100 depending which one you buy.   You could save 10% on your heating and cooling costs just by setting your thermostat back when you're not home and while you're sleeping.   Program your thermostat to 78 degrees F or higher in the summer and 62 degrees F or lower in the winter. If you tell it to return to your preferred temperature before you return home, you won't ever know the temperature changed, until you look at the reduction in your energy bills.

4) Insulate your home properly:  For energy efficiency, your home should be properly insulated from the roof down to its foundation. This includes the following areas:  I inspect a lot of older homes that have insulation in the crawl space.   Call your local insulating contractor and get you home up to date!   

Areas to check for proper insulation techniques.

Attic spaces

Attic access doors to unfinished attics

Knee walls in finished attics

Ducts in unconditioned spaces

Cathedral ceilings

Exterior walls

Floors above unheated garages

Foundations

Basements

Crawl spaces

5)  Install a Tankless Hot Water Heater:    The energy savings of the gas tankless water heater translates to dollar savings for you and reduced impact on our environment.  Typical savings are approximately 30% of your energy usage. Furthermore, a tankless water heater produces an endless supply of hot water, provided you size the unit appropriately. Point of use water heaters are also designed to last for 20+ years and can be mounted to a wall to save space.  Plus tax credits are available from the us government.   Typical gas unit cost $1000.00 Tax credit $300.00      the standard gas water heater cost $600.00 do the math:  Only a $100.00 more you will save that in the first 6 months of operating costs.    I don't understand why new home builders are not using this technology.   I personally think that they should be fined for not building homes with energy efficient appliances such as these.  Sorry I was on my soap box again.  

See the US department of energy consumer guide for more information.

http://www.eere.energy.gov/consumer/your_home/water_heating/index.cfm/mytopic=12820